When LA meets LA2
by TinyPalm
Summary: A little manipulation of the last chapter of LA1 and what do you get? A fun mix of characters from LA and LA2! After the battle with Zehaal, Lucia and Alph entered a portal... What will happen when Lucia meets Fatima / when Alph meets Althea? Plz read on
1. Prologue

Author's notes:

I re-played LA1 the past two weeks and fell in love with it… again. Anyway, this is my first fic ever. If this is successful, I may have plans to update more LA stories – maybe a crossover of LA and LA3 :]  
Oh, and I've maintained some of the conversation between Alph and Lucia since I couldn't find anything else better. (The ending of LA is just superb.)

**Please review. Since this is my first fic, I won't expect a lot of good comments. Any criticism is most welcome. Thanks and enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Luminous Arc or anything associated with it. All rights to Luminous Arc and affiliated products belong to Rising Star Games, Marvelous Entertainment Inc and Nintendo

**Rating:** K

**Genre:** Adventure / Romance

Prologue

An alternative ending

Once again, Witches and Ryms had come together to fight, this time with the joined forces of human warriors. And once again, we faced our common enemy. We had come a long way, from the search for my Rym to the cooperation of the humans, and finally, we were in the last battle for peace.

Just the last few minutes of fighting Zehaal's army of Angels had already been crazy. Each of us was panting hard, hoping our remaining strength was enough to defeat the large, somewhat glowing, figure before us.

'Now!' Claire, our oldest sister and leader of the Witches, ordered. We knew what we had to do. Each of us in our places, we prepared for our final strike – the Rainbow Synergy.

Zehaal laughed coldly. 'You think you can defeat me? Me, your God!' He clasped his hands together and said, 'The incident 1,000 years ago will never happen again. Prepare for THIS.' He let out a loud cry and slowly pulled his hands away, and a hole of some sort emerged between them. For the first time, I could see him look strained as he created that hole.

'Let's finish this,' Claire said, determined. She held out her weapon, and the rest of us followed. The vitae on top of each of our weapons started to glow as it shot strands of light around Zehaal, creating a spinning seven-colored ring, gradually building up its strength and picking up its speed as we concentrated.

I cautiously let a little bit of my concentration slip as I turned to look at Alph. I'd told him to stay away when it came to dealing with Zehaal, yet I could see he was so worked up and concentrated that he was ready to spring in and help whenever something got wrong.

'No!' Claire suddenly shouted, drawing my attention. I could hear Zehaal's dark laughter again.

'What, Claire? What's happening?' I demanded. Strange, we seemed to be doing fine. 'Did we do something wrong?'

'No… It's the hole. It's sucking away our magic.' Claire looked stressed. 'We'll never be able to create a ring with enough energy to destroy him.'

'Oh, great,' Vanessa growled, withdrawing her weapon. 'Good work, Claire.'

'Stop it, Vanessa,' Mel snapped, fighting hard to concentrate on creating the ring. 'Now's not the time! We have to do this. Gathering the strength of all seven of us is the only way to defeat him.'

'I'll deal with him myself.' Vanessa picked up her scythe and approached Zehaal. I saw Claire just about to call her back when I sensed the sudden shift of the air around us. The wind changed direction, and it was blowing right toward Zehaal's direction.

'Oh no,' Claire gasped as the wind picked up strength. 'He's trying to consume us using that hole, right now!'

The wind grew stronger and stronger, and I realized what was happening. 'Claire,' I shouted, withdrawing my staff. 'Stop it! Stop attacking Zehaal! He's using our ring against us! He's _absorbing_ our magic!'

It was too late. The wind grew too strong to withstand and it knocked us all down, and I felt I was slowly pulled towards the hole. 'Shine!' I cried, hoping my magic could _at least_ slow down our progression, but it didn't work.

Then it hit me. The Spear of Dawn – the ultimate magic that could surpass even Zehaal's power. Cecille had said that I was the only one that was able to use it. I looked around and saw my sisters trying in vain to stop Zehaal's attack. Maybe this was the time for me to perform my duty as the Dawn Witch.

'Lucia!' Alph called out from behind me. I stood up just as he reached me.

'Are you okay?' His face was saturated with worry. Although I was worried that Alph might get hurt by coming here, I was glad I could see him one last time before I cast Over Flash.

'Alph, I want you listen carefully,' I cried, my sound barely audible under the roar of the strong wind. 'I'm going to use Over Flash, and I want you to concentrate.'

I waited for him to process it. 'To protect you, right,' he said. 'Okay, I'm ready.'

'No,' I cried. 'To protect them.' I waved my hands around, gesturing at my sisters and other teammates. 'When I cast Over Flash, the power it emits may hurt others as well. I'd tell them to leave first, but Zehaal's hole was making that an impossibility. Please, Alph, swear that you'll protect them!'

'What? What about you?' Alph cried. 'Won't you be sacrificing yourself if you use Over Flash? Don't you need my shield to protect you?'

I sighed. 'Look, there is no other way. If I can save the planet, then I don't care if I have to die. That's the Dawn Witch's fate. The Dawn Witch's duty.'

'Are you insane?' He cried. 'That's not true! I swore I'd protect you!'

'Of course I want you to protect me! I don't WANT to die! I just didn't expect I'd have to cast Over Flash right here!' I could hear Zehaal's loud cry again, and the wind picked up even more strength. 'Look, there's no time.' I held his face in my hands. 'I know you'll do what's right. Protect the planet. Protect everyone.'

I straightened up. Alph tried to grab me but I shook him off. 'Goodbye, Alph.' I looked at him one last time, his face a pained expression. Then I rushed toward Zehaal's direction.

'Lucia!!!' I could hear Alph's desperate cry, but I couldn't bear to look back. It would only hurt us even more.

'Spear of Dawn!' I cried, determined. 'Eliminate our foe with the ultimate light! Over Flash!!'

The vitae on top of my staff glowed to an extent I'd never seen before. The light it emitted enveloped Zehaal within its glow, and I could feel magic being sucked right out of me. 'Luuciaaa!!!!' I heard Alph's muffled cry behind me, and I felt a drop of tear appearing in my eyes. Why couldn't I have cherished our time together more? Images started to flash in my brain – the first time Alph and I'd met, the time when I'd discovered he was my Rym, the time we'd spent in the hot spring, and the many times he'd protected me from hurt… The tear dropped to my cheek. _Goodbye, Alph. Maybe we'll meet sometime again. _The blackness I'd been trying so hard to overcome finally overpowered me and loomed over me, and I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's notes:

Sorry for the wait, guys. Been a bit busy for the last couple of days. Anyway, this is the second (or first) part, dwelling right into the story. Enjoy!

**Again. Please review. Since this is my first fic, I won't expect a lot of good comments. Any criticism is most welcome. Thanks and enjoy the story!**

Chapter 1

A new beginning

The pain was overwhelming. I felt like every living cell in my body was being heated at the same time, yet the heat just kept growing more and more intense. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly reach a greater extent, it soared again, until it surpassed anything I'd ever felt.

The pain was also bewildering. The part that I could feel and think bewildered me. I could feel that my body was twisting and turning, yet I knew that I couldn't because of the pain. I could remember casting Over Flash. I could remember being fully prepared for the outcome of that – death. Hmm… I wondered if death felt this way. If that was the case, I certainly hadn't prepared for that.

The pain dragged on and on. I had no way of escaping it. I tried to open my eyes, but they were far too heavy. My ears were also malfunctioning, considering I couldn't hear anything besides the screaming pain inside my body.

I was still pondering when I heard a loud 'thud' beside me. All of a sudden, energy started to flow into me, rejecting the overwhelming pain and bringing more of myself into consciousness. I had control of my body again, and I opened my eyes, only to find that they were staring straight into the sun.

I turned away reflexively, and waited for my eyes to adjust. When I thought I was ready, I sat up and examined my surroundings, my staff in my hands – trees and bushes, and that was about all I could see. It was practically a huge forest. I moaned and sat on the ground. Where was I supposed to go?

I could hear another moaning sound, but that was not my own. I was completely bewildered. Another person? Here? I located the sound source and made out the figure just ten feet from me, and I gasped.

I rushed towards his direction and found that he was lying unconscious. 'Alph! Alph!!!' I cried as I shook his vest, listening to his heartbeat. 'Please wake up.' His breathing was ragged and his heartbeat was weak. I had no idea if he was in any immediate danger.

I took a step back and held my staff tight. I activated a wordless spell, letting the white light envelop Alph, waiting for his wounds to heal.

I sat beside him the whole time. I wondered if it was the presence of my Rym that had given me the suddenly energy surge just now. Things were starting to get really strange here. Me and my Rym being in the middle of nowhere…

I had lost myself in my thoughts when I heard Alph's muffled sound. 'Lucia?' He stared at me with half-opened eyes, seeming disbelieving to see me.

'Alph!' I didn't hide my joy upon seeing him.

'Lucia!!' He hugged me tightly in his arms, and I could hear his quiet sobs. Normally, I would push him away and call him a crybaby. But I was content in his arms, and didn't want to hold back. 'It's so good to see you again! When you cast Over Flash, I thought I was going to lose you,' he said. 'Why are we here? Is this all a dream?'

Now that he'd mentioned it, I pulled him away and said, 'That's what I wanted to ask you. I thought you'd have some answers.'

'Really, I don't.' He shrugged, still seeming too joyful to answer anything. He paused and said, 'I can't believe I can be with you again!'

'Wait, first things first,' I said. If we didn't get out of this mess soon, maybe the chance of being together wouldn't last. 'Do you remember anything that had happened before we ended here?'

Alph was thoughtful for a minute. 'I remember seeing you cast Over Flash. I remember using my strength to shield everyone else from being hurt by the magic,' he listed. 'I remember being hurt so much to see you deal with Zehaal.' I cringed. He continued, 'The last thing I can remember is going into the hole after you.'

'Going into the hole after me?'

'Yeah. Once I'd made sure everyone else was okay, I tried to shield you with any of my remaining strength. You were unconscious then, and were being sucked into that hole. I thought I'd lost you, so I went in with you.'

'Huh…' I thought for a minute, restraining myself from scolding Alph for his utter stupidity to endanger his life to try to save mine. 'That means what Zehaal created was sort of a portal, transferring us into this place?'

'Could be.' Alph shrugged.

'Well, let's go,' I said, pulling Alph to his legs. 'We can't just sit here forever.'

'I agree.' Alph took my hands and led the way.

We walked for hours and hours, but we still couldn't find a way out of the huge maze. Occasionally, we would find trails of human footprints, but every time we tried following them, we still ended up lost in the forest. This was going to take forever.

'I'm hungry,' Alph moaned, and I shot him a glare. What did he want me to do? Conjure up some hot dogs?

'Wait,' I said as I picked up something familiar.

'What?' Alph asked. 'Why are we stopping?'

'I sense…' I said, closing my eyes to concentrate. The sense came nearer and nearer. '… magic. It's a Witch.' Strange, it wasn't coming from any of my sisters.

'A Witch?!'

'Quick, hide!' I pulled him into one of the bushes and waited. Soon after, a pink-haired Witch came into view, holding an envelope of some sort, heading towards our direction. I gestured for Alph to back up a little. The pink-haired Witch stopped in front of us, looking confused. Then she shrugged and continued her journey.

I took Alph's arm and pulled him along, and we followed the Witch cautiously. Alph wiped the sweat off his brow and heaved a sigh of relief. 'For a minute there, I thought she'd seen us,' he whispered.

'I think she has,' I replied. Alph looked at me, bewildered. 'Didn't you notice her confusion? She sensed me,' I went on. 'She just doesn't know it yet.'

I wondered… I could use _and _detect magic, so this planet must be powered by Rune, which made it _our _planet. But we hadn't just been transferred to another place, because I would know if there were any other Witches besides the seven of us.

'Then… did we time-travel or something?' Alph asked. God, was I thinking out loud?

'It's a possibility. But I don't think that's it.' I shrugged and sighed. 'I sure miss our team. I wonder if they're okay.'

'I'm sure of it,' Alph reassured me. 'I didn't notice any flaws in my shield when I was protecting them.'

We were quiet for a few minutes, closely following the girl in front of us. Maybe she would have the answer for everything. I tried to keep my mind from wandering. Pursuing this non-pursuable situation would only hurt my brain more.

'Here we are,' I said to Alph, eyeing the huge castle seeming to rise up out of the Earth. 'Finally!'

The girl was headed right towards one of the castle gates. 'Wait,' I said, raising a hand to stop Alph from progressing.

'What? We need to hurry. That Witch can be gone any minute!'

I sighed. Couldn't my Rym be at least a little cleverer? 'Don't you notice the guards guarding the gates?' I snapped. 'What are we gonna do if we're stopped? We have nothing to show them that will grant us permission inside those gates. We can't possibly start a fight, either.' I paused and let Alph process it. Then I continued, 'Besides, aren't you forgetting something? I can sense my own kind, remember?' Alph nodded stupidly. I sighed again. 'So we'll have no trouble locating her once we're within the wall.'

'Then what are we gonna do?'

I grinned. 'We teleport. I think I can guess how thick the wall is.' I grabbed his hand and pulled him along, but he stopped me.

'What now?'

'You should really change into something less conspicuous first, Lucia,' Alph said, eyeing my clothes.

'Wow. Look who's talking!' I nodded at his shiny blue armor.

'Knights wear this stuff!' Alph said. 'I mean it. Your clothes may be too loud for some people.'

I groaned and said, annoyed, 'Fine! But you turn around and stay in front so I can make sure you're not peeking.'

I hid behind a tree and activated a wordless spell. My clothes instantly changed into the maid uniform I had worn when I first met Alph.

I tapped on his shoulders, capturing his attention, and asked, 'How's this?' He smiled in response.

I frowned. 'What?'

'Nothing.' He shook his head, still smiling. 'It's just been a long time since I last saw you in this uniform.'

'Well, let's go. We haven't got all day,' I urged, noticing the pink-haired Witch entering the castle. I took his hands and readied my staff, the vitae on top glowing brighter and brighter. I reached the wall and said to Alph, 'Hold my staff tight.' The vitae flashed and we let the light engulf us.

We ended up in a place completely different from the outside. Busy streets, bustling shops, and fireworks! Are they celebrating some kind of festival here?

I ignored the hectic atmosphere and concentrated on locating the sense that pink-haired Witch emitted instead. I let Alph follow me as I sped up, and stopped when I suddenly encountered a hulking figure in front of me.

'Whoa! What's that?' Alph asked, and I shrugged, but I sensed magic radiating from it.

'You stupid Golem, let me go!' A voice called out. It was then when I saw the pink-haired Witch in that thing's hands.

Well, Golem or not, it's going down. I readied my staff just as I noticed Alph pulling his sword out of its scabbard. But just when I was about to cast a spell, the golem threw the girl across the street, and she landed flat on an armored grey-haired boy.

I withdrew my staff. Alph was about to spring at the golem, but I stopped him. 'Those look like fine knights,' I said, gesturing at the boy and two other people, one holding a lance and the other holding a bow. 'Let them handle it. I'm more curious about that Witch's power.'

'O-kay, I guess,' Alph answered, putting his sword back into its scabbard. I pulled him along and we watched from around a corner.

'Ow! That hurt!' The girl snapped at the boy. 'Aren't you a Knight? You're supposed to catch me!'

_Things _really_ had changed around here,_ I thought to myself.

'How was I supposed to do that?' The boy snapped back. 'You just came flying out of nowhere.'

'Knights these days are weak!' The Witch shot the boy a glare and Alph gritted his teeth. 'That's why the Fiends are winning!'

'What did you say?!'

I sighed. They were wasting my time, but I knew this was the only way for us to get our answers. So I held myself back and listened attentively. It soon occurred to me, _Are they even aware of the danger ahead of them? _I could already hear the Golem approaching.

'What the heck?! A Golem? Seriously?!' The red-haired guy with a lance shouted.

'What is that thing doing here?' The bow-girl asked, her voice trembling just a little.

'I need to speak with that Witch-in-training!' The Golem shouted with a strange voice.

'Whoa. It's a talking Golem!' The bow-girl took a step back.

'No meow. Down here! I said that!' It was then when I realized it was a flying cat that was speaking. My mistake.

'Oh, a talking cat,' The lance-guy said and raised his eyebrows, mirroring my thoughts. 'That makes sense.'

'I'm not a cat meow! I'm Josie, a feline familiar,' the 'familiar' snapped. 'I'm with the Shadow Frost Witch.'

_So they don't call Witches by their elemental names here, huh?_

'That Witch-in-training is plotting to get something to the Queen!' Josie continued.

_Queen? _This was simply too much. I decided to block out all the sound mentally until the real battle began.

'Everyone, to the laboratory!' The bow-girl said after a while, capturing my attention. 'I don't think an abnormous golem like that can get inside.'

'You sure we don't need to help them?' Alph asked me, keeping his voice low, his expression unsure.

'Just wait a moment,' I replied. 'I want to see something.'

They were already headed towards a building just a few hundred feet from us. We waited until all of them had entered, then found a window and sneaked in. We hid behind a drawer and waited.

The pink-haired Witch was introducing herself. 'I'm Althea,' she said, 'I'm a Witch-in-training at Rev Magic Academy.'

_Witch-in-training? Magic Academy?_ I started to feel dizzy. _How can a Witch be trained, and just what is this Rev Magic Academy?_

I heard a loud crack and looked up. The golem had gotten inside along with Josie.

'Gotcha meow. Just surrender and I'll let you live meow!' Josie threatened.

'Yeah right! Don't think I'm weak just because I'm an apprentice!' Althea snapped and I folded my arms across my chest.

'Talk is cheap meow,' Josie said. The meowing sound was really starting to get on my nerves.

'We need a plan, and fast,' The lance-guy said hastily as the Golem started wrecking the laboratory. 'I don't want to stick around and get flattened.' I held my staff tight, ready to help whenever things got out of hand.

'Allow me to kill you then,' Josie said. 'Golem…'

A voice intervened, 'Hold it right there.' I turned my attention to the main door, and saw a fine-looking man walking in. 'You'll pay for what you've done!'

'Steiner!' the boy greeted him and the bow-girl hugged him. 'There you are!' she said, seeming jubilant.

'Rina,' Steiner said, addressing the bow-girl, his expression concerned. 'Are you hurt?'

'No, I'm okay,' Rina assured him.

'I see you and the Golem work for the Shadow Frost Witch,' Steiner said to Josie, shooting him a glare. 'This is the Queen's territory. What business do you have here?' He demanded. 'Why did you break my lab?'

'It was collateral damage meow. I was just after the Witch-in-training.'

'Don't drag humans into your petty Witch disputes! You'll pay for this.'

'Don't be kidding. Humans can't defeat Golems.' I saw Alph grit his teeth again, probably because of Josie's cocky attitude.

'We'll see about that,' Steiner said, and Josie widened his eyes. 'It's about time I tested my new secret weapon. Roland! Will you hand me the big Synth-Lapis by your feet?'

I located the Synth-Lapis. So that was the source of the magic I had been sensing all this time after I'd entered the lab. _Hmm… it looks like a regular Vitae. Or are they calling it a Lapis Seed here?_

Roland grabbed the Vitae and it flashed. 'Whoa!' cried Roland. He had turned his back towards me, so I had to move a bit to get a clearer view. The Vitae was stuck to his hand! 'What's happening?' Why is it stuck to my hand?!!' Roland yelled in agony.

'What?!!' Steiner took a step back as the 'Synth-Lapis' started to glow brighter. 'Impossible! Why is it reacting to Roland?' Then his glare turned darker. 'Roland, are you trying to upset all my plans?!'

I got curious and stepped forward a little bit. _A vitae bonded to a human body? How can that be possible?_

'Looks like four-eyes' secret weapon didn't work,' Josie said. 'Now is my turn. Golems, destroy them! Get that Witch!'

'Roland,' Steiner said. 'Now that the Runic Engine is bonded to you, you have to fight.'

'That's it! Who's there?' Althea suddenly demanded, pointing her wand in our direction.

_Great. Here goes. I guess hiding in a Witch's presence is not really the smartest thing to do. _I slowly walked up to join the party, pulling Alph along with me.

Before I could say anything, Althea cried, 'You!! You're the one who's been following me, aren't you?' The other people in the party had all turned their attention to me and waited for my response, including Josie.

_Well, why don't I cut to the chase? _I nodded. 'We were lost in the forest. We thought you could help us.'

'Enough with your lies! You're with the Shadow Frost Witch, aren't you?' Althea demanded. 'Have you come to steal the message?'

'And why would I waste my time doing that?'

'You… evil Witch!'

'You're really annoying. I told you we were lost.'

'Enough already!' The red-haired guy said. 'Are Witches supposed to act this weird? Always flying into people or spying on other Witches?'

I was just about to snap back when Steiner said, 'Hey! Your petty Witch disputes can be dealt with later. Right now we have to defeat that Golem!' He turned to Roland. 'As I said, you have to join this battle. With the Runic Engine, you_ can _defeat the Golem!' He then turned to us. 'You two, stay back! I don't know about Witches, but a Golem is much too powerful for any normal knight to handle.' He nodded to Alph.

I smiled at the thought of what his expression might be if he knew he was addressing a dragon and a Witch who had the power to defeat God. Oh well, if he insisted, then we had one less problem to deal with. Besides, I was still interested in seeing Althea's power.

We stepped back and let the scene before us unfold. Steiner dealt with Josie while the other three and Althea dealt with the Golem. From their battle, I noticed that Althea used fire spells while the boy with the 'Runic Engine' was the strongest, probably because of the machine. Still, the armor was too heavy for the four of them to penetrate. Though they could do some minor damage here and there, the Golem was still not defeated. Steiner got his hands full with Josie dancing around, neatly dodging his attacks, and couldn't help fight the Golem.

'Take this,' Rina cried, shooting at the Golem. The arrow bounced back from its heavy armor, leaving nothing but a minor scratch on its leg. The Golem turned its attention to her and crouched down.

'Look out!' I cried, but it was too late. The Golem had her in its hands.

'That's it,' Alph said beside me. 'You're going down.' He pulled his sword out of its scabbard, and, before I could stop him, did a flip and landed in front of Roland. 'Let me handle this.'

'No!!' Steiner cried, still busy dealing with Josie. 'Don't endanger yourself. You can't defeat it.'

Alph ignored him and let out a cry, letting his sword slash the Golem's body. It took but one slice. The Golem was split in half and fell. Though I knew we were risking our identities, I couldn't help smiling proudly at my Rym. What had been taking the Knights so long?

'NO!!!' Josie cried. 'My lovely Golem!!' Althea and the three knights stared at Alph in disbelief. Even Steiner raised his brows. Josie raised his staff. 'How dare you do this to my Golem creations meow?! You'll pay for this meow!'

'You wanna be next?' Alph shot a dark glance at Josie, and Josie took a step back.

'Maybe… not today meow,' Josie said, retreating. 'But you'll pay someday. I'll go tell Fatimeow.'

He rushed out the front door, but no one bothered to chase him. They all seemed too shocked at Alph's ability to move.

'Did you just…' Steiner asked, his expression blank, but he didn't go on.

'Rina was in trouble, and I thought I might be able to help her,' Alph explained.

'No, no, no…' Steiner shook his head. 'That's not it. But you didn't have the Runic Engine.'

'Yeah?'

'You weren't supposed to be able to defeat the Golem!' Steiner started shouting. 'Even if I had the Runic engine, I wouldn't have been able to take it down with one slice! Who are you?'

Alph frowned. 'My name's Alph.'

'Brother!' Rina said. 'Alph just saved my life. Shouldn't you at least thank him first?'

'Oh,' Steiner said, coming to himself. 'Right. I'm sorry I got carried away. Let me give you my gratitude for saving my sister's life.'

'Don't worry about it,' Alph said. 'That's what a knight should do.'

'Who's that beside you?'

I stepped forward. 'I'm Lucia. Nice to meet you.'

'Nice to meet you too, Lucia!' Althea exclaimed. 'I'm sorry I misjudged you earlier. I mean, since you're with Alph, I don't believe you're an ally of the Shadow frost witch, are you?' She looked thoughtful for a minute. 'Which brings the question, what are you doing with a knight? Why are you dressed as a maid?'

_That sure was a lot of questions._ Before I could answer any of that, Althea asked again, 'Which Magic Academy are you in?'

Oops. _Just go along with it, Lucia. _I told myself. 'I'm from the…' I paused, trying hard to remember the name of the place she had said she was in. '… Rev Magic Academy!' Aha!

'Rev Magic Academy?' Althea asked, shocked. 'That's where I am studying too!'

I forced a smile on my face. _Let's just leave it at that._

Steiner reclaimed his attention on Alph. 'Okay, good knight. May I ask which squad you are in?'

That caught Alph off guard. 'Um… I, um…' Alph looked at me for help, but I was at a loss too. I stared at him anxiously. One false step and all our efforts would be in vain. Then Alph finally said, 'I'm from the Rym Squad.'

I put a hand to my face. _We're never going to survive this._

'The… Rym Squad?' Steiner asked.

'Oh, it's not a formal knight Squad,' Alph said hastily. 'We residents in the city formed a Squad ourselves to protect us from… Golems and the like. I'm the captain,' he added.

'A knight squad from the city, huh?' Steiner's expression of disbelief returned. 'Why aren't we informed of this?'

Alph gave no reply.

'Oh well,' Steiner said then sighed. 'A knight from the city. Stronger than the captain of a formal knight squad! Stronger than a knight with my Runic Engine! Unbelivable.' He shook his head. He was thoughtful for a minute and then suddenly added, 'Hey, Alph!'

'Huh?'

'What do you say to joining my squad?' Steiner asked with anticipation. 'My Runic Engine can double your skill in combat.'

'Uh… no thanks.' Alph eyed me once. 'I've got some unfinished business to attend to.'

Steiner sighed. 'That's too bad. My squad would do so much better with you.'

He was just about to turn his attention back to Roland when a middle-aged man walked in, his expression shocked. 'S-Steiner! Your laboratory is in shambles! What went wrong with your Runic Engine experiment?'

'The experiment was a success. We also fought off a Golem in here.'

'You… You defeated a Golem?!' The man's shock intensified.

'The Shadow Frost Witch's aides came to attack this Witch here,' Steiner said calmly, gesturing at Althea.

'I'm a messenger from the Brilliant Witch, Miss Dia!' Althea said. 'I'm here to deliver her letter to the Queen. I had nothing to do with that Golem, though!' _Oh! A messenger! So that's why she was holding an envelope when we first met her._

'So, you're the messenger we've been waiting for,' the man said. 'Hmm… We must see the Queen to sort this out. Steiner, Miss Witch… Please, let us go to the castle.'

'Wendell,' Steiner said. 'I would also like to take Alph and Roland, here with us.' I raised a brow.

Wendell stared at Steiner, seeming puzzled.

'It was actually Alph who defeated the Golem,' Steiner explained. 'With one strike!' He added. 'I've never seen a knight so powerful in my life before. I doubt even Sir Richter, Sir Gaston and me combined can match him,' I smiled again. Seeing Wendell's indifferent glance, he went on, 'Now, Roland here… You should take a look at his hand.'

'Ah!' Wendell cried. 'That's the Runic Engine! But you said you were… What happened?

'Well, a whole lot, actually… I must report what happened to Her Royal Majesty at once.'

'I see. How odd.' Wendell put a hand on his chin. 'All right, you come too.'

I stepped up. 'Hey, what about me, old man? If you want to take Alph, you better make it a party of six.' Althea seemed puzzled again.

'O-Old man?' Wendell stuttered. Then he sighed. 'All right. You can come too.' He turned his attention to Rina and the lance-guy. 'You too. Pack your things. We're going to see the Queen.'

I smiled at Alph. _So far so good._

**_Well, that's about how I pictured LA and LA2 come together for the first time. Anyway, get ready for the next chapter: I'm the Twilight Witch!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**So here's the third part of the story. Enjoy and _please_ review.**

Chapter 2

I'm the Twilight Witch!

We were on our way to the Rev Magic Academy. The brief intermission when we'd met the Queen had given me enough time to get to know our party. Roland and Rasche were the sons of Steven, the leader of a former knight squad. Althea was a Witch-in-training at the Academy who wanted to be a Mage Queen, whatever that meant. Rina was the sister of Steiner, whose parents had died in a fire.

The Queen had requested that me and Alph assist them on their way to the Academy, where we would meet the Brilliant Witch, the leader of all Witches. We still had a lot of questions and since I still thought that Witches might be the only ones holding the answers, we'd consented to her request. _So here we are at the Calcus Highway._

On the one hand, Alph didn't seem to be worried too much about our current situation; I could see that he was getting enthusiastic about joining the conversation with the rest of the party, but on the other hand, he was still taking my hand and I could see he didn't want to leave my side. I sighed. If only I could be as optimistic as my Rym. Maybe then I could spare a lot of my worries.

'Wait!' cried Rasche mid-conversation. 'I hear something coming this way.'

'What is that… smoke?' asked Roland.

'It's not smoke. It's dust,' said Alph. 'Looks like we've got company.' He squeezed my hand gently.

I looked up to see who was coming, only to find myself staring at an approaching carriage.

'What is that thing?!' cried Rasche. 'A carriage without a horse?! How on Earth do they make it move?'

_So it's true. _I wondered. _I don't sense any magic from it either._

The carriage stopped in front of us and out came a red-haired girl, a tall purple-haired man and a weird fat guy with thick glasses. They were all wearing a signature rose above their heads. _Are they a band of some sort?_

'Whew,' the fat guy said, stretching his legs. 'It was a long drive.'

'Moose!' the girl shouted. 'You can rest later. First give me the Lapis Radar!'

'Right away, My Lady.' The fat guy took out a device from a side-pocket and handed it to the girl.

'Can we help you with anything?' Roland interrupted.

The girl ignored him and took a look at the device. She smiled at the tall man. 'Looks like today's our lucky day, Ace. Three Witches.'

'Hey, what are you mumbling about?' I said. 'Can't you see you're blocking our way? If you have anything to do with us, get on with it already!'

'You got some nerve there little girl, talking to the Lady like that!' Ace snapped. I shot him a cold glare.

'Stop it, Ace,' the girl said calmly. 'Negotiations are a time for tact and delicacy, no matter how stupid and crude the other people are.' She thrust the device back at Moose and turned her attention to us. 'I'll bet the three girls back there are Witches.'

'Who, us?' Rina raised her eyebrow. 'What are you talking about? I'm not a Witch.'

'Uh… Boss,' Moose interrupted, staring intensely at the device. 'I'm afraid we have a little problem here.'

'What?' the girl snapped.

'It looks like the Radar is malfunctioning,' Moose explained with caution.

I folded my arms across my chest. _Do they even know what they're doing?_

'What do you mean?' the girl snapped again.

'The white-haired girl is giving off an unusually strong signal,' Moose said, gesturing at me. 'Her readings are off the chart, which is clearly impossible. Plus, the third faint signal this Radar is receiving is 10 miles away while the device was built to cover a 5-mile radius. The only normal reading here is the signal given off by the pink-haired girl.'

The red-haired girl groaned. 'Moose!' She shouted even louder. 'Don't tell me you've built another crap machine again! We've only used it once and you're telling me it's already busted?!'

'P-p-please, My Lady,' Moose stuttered, seeming in fear. _Who is the girl anyway?_

'Well, whatever. It doesn't matter if they are Witches or not. All that matters is that we know they have the Lapistier.'

I couldn't bear the suspension. 'What business do you have here anyway?'

'What do you think we're doing?' the girl answered with a smile. 'We're stealing your Lapistier, of course!'

I scowled as Rasche scoffed, 'Don't be fools. Like we'd let you jerks walk up and steal from our friends.'

'I warn you, you're messing with the wrong group here,' Alph said in his calm voice, shielding me with his arm.

'Well then, My Lady,' Ace said, his expression smug. 'Is it show time?' He clapped his hands twice. 'Come on out, guys!' He continued as a gangster-looking band came out from the huge carriage, each holding an axe. 'Savor the ferocity of Karen's bodyguards.'

'Don't forget about me,' Moose cried, and smiled for the first time. He took out a remote of some sort from his pocket and hit a button. Strange robots started hopping down the carriage. 'On with the show, my cute little Destructobots!'

Althea gasped. 'What are those?! I don't feel any magic from them!'

'Magic?' Moose said with a sneer. 'Pshaw. My creations aren't powered by fairy sparkles!'

'Now.' I patted Alph on his shoulder once, and he hopped into mid-air, his sword swinging delicately in circles, leaving a slight trail of dazzling after-slash twinkle. His body spun gracefully in the motion of the sword, the sound of tearing machines appearing everywhere. When his feet touched the ground again, the 'destructobots' were but pieces of scrap metal.

'Whoa. Check out his moves,' Rasche exclaimed in awe.

Alph landed right in front of the red-haired girl. He put his sword back in its scabbard and said, 'I told you that you were messing with the wrong group.'

Moose cried in desperation. 'NO!!! My cute little destructobots! How dare you!'

'It's no use, My Lady,' Ace moaned. 'The enemy is way too strong.'

'Shut up! It's been forever since we last encountered a Lapistier,' the red-haired girl snapped. 'I'm not going back empty-handed! They may have defeated Moose's designs, but my loyal bodyguards won't disappoint me.'

'Lucia! Alph!' A voice suddenly cried out from behind, but it wasn't coming from any people of our group. The voice sounded strangely familiar. I located the source and turned around. As I made out the figure behind me, I gasped and nearly dropped my staff. 'Ce…cille?' I said slowly, completely dumbfounded.

'What?' Alph demanded, turning his head to face mine. When he followed my gaze and noticed Cecille, he too widened his eyes in disbelief.

Questions started flooding my head again. The most obvious of all was: _why is Cecille here? Why is my newest sister dressed as a priestess again?_

Cecille didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, judging from her expression, she seemed… relieved. She put a hand to her heart and said, 'Lucia. Thank God I found you guys.' I stared at her, not knowing how I should answer. I felt like I'd suddenly forgotten how to speak.

'You have to come with me right away,' Cecille said urgently.

'Hey!' The red-haired girl interrupted, but I didn't bother to turn around. 'We're still in a bit of a commotion here. I still have two Lapistier to take, you know.'

'Boss!' Moose cried out from behind as I noticed something beeping. 'The Lapis Radar is reacting violently! It's picking up another unusually strong signal from the priestess!' He paused for a moment, and began to talk to himself. 'No, wait. Isn't this the third signal the Radar was picking up earlier? How did she get here so fast?'

'What does this mean, Moose?' the red-haired girl snapped. 'Didn't you say the device was busted?'

'It appears not, boss,' Moose explained hastily. 'It's still a mystery why the readings on the chart are appearing so strange, but it's no doubt we are encountering three Witches with three Lapistier.'

'Another Witch?' Althea asked and turned to Cecille, her face bright with anticipation. 'Are you a member of the Rev Magic Academy too?'

Cecille ignored them. 'We've got no time. You two have to come with me.'

I could feel my tongue again. I took her hand and asked, 'Wait, Cecille. What are you talking about?'

'Zehaal is alive,' she said, each word clear and distinct. It took but three words to paralyze me completely. It took every ounce of my attention that I nearly forgot the enemies behind me. I wanted to speak but my tongue disobeyed; I wanted to move but my muscles were stiff.

It was not until Cecille started to cringe in pain when I came back to myself. I released her hand hastily from my firm grip, but I still couldn't open my mouth to apologize or ask about.

'I'll explain everything later,' Cecille said, noticing my shock.

'Hmm… A maid, a priestess, a Witch and a thief,' Rasche said. 'How interesting.'

The red-haired girl groaned behind me. 'You are seriously wasting my time. Guards, get them, especially that four-eyes!'

That slightly got Cecille on edge. 'The name's Cecille. I'm the Twilight Witch. Don't you underestimate me!'

'Twilight, schwilight. I'm going to take your Lapistier.'

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' Cecille warned.

The girl stepped away and her guards charged in our direction. In front of us, Roland and Rasche were able to hold back some of them, but the rest were still charging this way.

'Here goes,' Cecille sighed as she took out her wand and activated a wordless spell, and the guards crouched down and started shrieking in pain. Ace backed away as the red-haired girl gritted her teeth. The rest of the party, especially Althea, seemed stunned as well.

'Uh… M-My Lady,' Ace stammered. 'I really suggest we retreat for now.' The red-haired girl made no move. She was staring intently at Cecille.

I stared at Cecille in horror. 'What did you just do?' Their cries were starting to give me the gooseflesh.

'I just temporarily blinded them,' Cecille replied smoothly. 'I didn't do any physical damage. I just used their minds against them. It won't take long. They will recover in approximately… five seconds. Anyhow, we should really get going.'

I tried to compose myself as I heard the guards moan and get off the ground. They were shielding their eyes with their hands and started retreating.

'Where are you going?!' the red-haired girl snapped. 'Come back here!'

Ace took her hand. 'Just go, Karen. We are definitely no match for them. After all, we do have the Lapis Radar.'

The girl paused for a moment, and then sighed. 'I guess you're right, Ace.' She turned her attention to us. 'But watch your back! We'll come back sooner than you think.'

They hopped onto the carriage and were gone in a flash.

'That was pretty crazy, huh?' Roland said.

'Who are you people?' Althea stepped up and asked. 'Lucia, I thought you said you were a Witch-in-training at Rev Magic Academy!'

'Well… about that…' I said, whacking my brains for possible explanations.

'It's a long story,' Alph interrupted, saving me from hurting my brain further.

'Let's go,' Cecille said.

'Wait,' I cried. 'If you're here, that means the rest of the team is also here, right?'

'Yes,' Cecille said calmly.

'Do you know where they are?'

'Unfortunately, not yet.'

'Hey, what are you mumbling about?' Rasche intervened. 'It's getting late. We need to go before it gets dark.'

'Are these your friends?' Cecille asked me, gesturing at the rest of the party.

'Hey! What does that mean?' Althea snapped. 'Of course we're her friends!'

'Well, I'm afraid Lucia and Alph won't be able to travel with you anymore.'

'Wait,' Alph said, addressing Cecille for the first time. 'Let me get this straight. You're saying that Zehaal is here, right?'

Cecille nodded.

'Then why are we still here? Shouldn't he have consumed this world by now?'

Cecille frowned. 'That's the part I'm still trying to figure out. It looks like Zehaal didn't end up in this dimension. He's here, all right. But I'm guessing he's in a different dimension in this world. Whatever the case, we have to stop him once and for all.'

'Easier said than done, considering we still don't have any leads as to where Zehaal ended up.' Alph paused and silently added, 'I thought we time-travelled.'

'Why don't _you _come with us, Cecille?' I suggested. 'Maybe the Witches in this world have the answers for us.'

'What, you're saying you're from another world?' Rasche asked.

_Uh-oh. _I pressed my lips tight and gave no reply.

'That's cool!' Althea exclaimed, almost making me jump. _Cool?!_ _Is that the best way she can think of to describe our situation? I, for one, wouldn't interpret this as 'cool'!_

'Cool, huh?' Rasche made a face, mirroring my thoughts.

'That being the case, will you still let us accompany you?' Alph asked cautiously.

'Of course!' Althea said enthusiastically. 'You're always welcome, as long as you're not with the Shadow Frost Witch. Let's go.'

'What do you think Cecille?' Alph asked.

'I don't know…' Cecille said with a look of indecision.

'The more the merrier,' I decided, taking Cecille's hand. 'Let's go!'

Cecille didn't say anything, but she didn't shake off my hand, so I assumed she'd agreed to the idea. We lagged behind the others. Following the party ahead of us, I slowly lost myself in my thoughts. I pictured me and my six sisters all together. Me, Cecille, Mel, Vivi, Mavi, Claire and Vanessa. A small drop of tear appeared in my eyes as I realized how little time we'd had together. The seven Witches had come together at a desperate time during battle. Cecille had said that the rest of our old team had arrived here as well. Maybe later we would come together once more, this time with the opportunity for us to live as a real family?

**I hope you enjoyed the story! Anyway, next chapter - The first battle: Mattias**


	4. Intermission I

**Author's notes:**

**Sorry for posting the update so late. I had an exam coming up. Well, I know I've said that this chapter would be about the battle against Mattias, but I made a last-minute change of plans, and I updated an intermission instead.**

**There are two reasons for the change:  
(1) A review says that Mattias appears way too soon, and I decided to take the advice and add a chapter as a bridge to link the last chapter and the next (Thx for the review, by the way^^)  
(2) As I wrote more and more, I found that the story was more like a sequel to LA1 than a mix of LA1 and LA2. Therefore, I figured I would add some thoughts of the characters in LA2 to maintain the nature of the story.**

**Okay. Enjoy the story and _please review.

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_****__****__******

Intermission (I)

Roland's POV

_All I'd ever wanted was to become a great knight like my father. The words 'saving the world' were as distant to me as the farthest star in the sky. Then Steiner's masterpiece came into the picture. I was, admittedly, scared at first when the Runic Engine was bonded with me since I didn't know what it would do to my body. Then I found it kind of fun when I learned I could take on a Golem with the machine. I had never felt so strong before in my life. Neither had I heard of any knight-in-training being able to handle a Golem in close combat._

_Then came the young man named Alph and a Witch-Maid named Lucia. He finished the Golem with less than 1% of the time me, Rasche and Rina had used to fight it. I'd supposed that it was common among the best knights in Carnava, but Steiner's stunned expression told me otherwise. Alph's ability really _was _exceptional._

_With great power came great responsibility. I shouldn't have been surprised when Queen Sophia and Captain Gaston told me I bore the responsibility of saving the world. I didn't want to have any problem with the idea. Every respectable knight should serve his country well, but seeing Alph's ability, I could taste the irony in it. Who am I to save the world when my comrade is a thousand times stronger than me? He could take down a Golem with one strike and destroy a band of destructobots with a mere skill. The taste of irony grew more and more distinct as I travelled with Alph and Lucia, and later a Witch-Priestess called Cecille. Their powers were beyond my wildest imagination. During our brief encounter with the Shadow Frost Witch at the Rev Magic Academy, though we ended up tricked as her purpose was solely to find the 'Enigmatron', I have no doubt the Dawn Witch and the Twilight Witch could have killed her if they had wanted to. Why didn't the Queen ask _them _to save the world instead?_

_Yet they always seemed so anxious, like there's a big enemy ahead of them. I can't imagine any Fiend or Golem having the ability to surpass their power. But then again I did hear something about another world or another dimension, whatever that means. All my teammates but Rasche seem to take it seriously, and now I'm forced to believe their story too. It just keeps getting better and better…_

Steiner's POV

_All my years of hard work and what did I get? Two brats, one to steal my work and another to steal my glory. I'm the one who's supposed to be the Rune Knight and save the world, not Roland. Alph would have made an excellent research material had the Queen not requested him to accompany Roland on his way to the Rev Magic Academy. I would know the secret of Alph's power sooner than Roland acquired the first kind of magic power. Instead, I'm stuck here developing the prototype of the second version of the Runic Engine. I don't know how many more years I'll have to spend on creating this device, but be warned that the next time someone tries to steal from me again, I'll hunt that bastard down until he's on the cold, cold ground. _

Rasche's POV

_God, one Witch is already troubling enough. And now four witches are accompanying us on our journey! The yellow-haired Witch is especially getting on my nerves. Dia, was it? No matter how I look at her, I don't see this hare-brained Witch fits to be the leader of the Witches. And the white-haired and the brown-haired? What a joke! Like I'll believe they're 'from another world'. This kind of thing just doesn't exist._

Althea's POV

_Witches from another world?! Are you kidding me? I always knew that there was something about my life, but I didn't expect I would encounter a myth! Whatever the case, I have to ask Lucia all about spells for inter-dimensional teleportation. It's so cool! I wonder if Miss Dia knows about them too. _

Vanessa's POV

_This is just so relaxing. Suddenly, I don't hate Zehaal so much. It's all thanks to him that I can have this wonderful time in a spa alone. All it took were a band of Kopins and the spa is all mine! Without the useless leader and my annoying sisters, I think I can rest here for the rest of my life. _

Kopin's POV

_Come on, Zehaal's alive? I knew it from the very beginning! Hi, I'm Kopin. Since Alph and his team entered my world, I have been keeping a close eye on them. Don't worry, folks. Should you have any trouble, just find a little lost Kopin. There's nothing the ultimate monster can't do._

* * *

**Cooked it up just in one day. Hope you liked it! Next chapter (for real this time) - The first battle: Mattias**


	5. Chapter 3

**Author's notes:**

**For those of you who were looking forward to reading more, I have to say I'm deeply sorry for the late update. I've been fully preoccupied by my CE exam and then I was starting to write a crossover story for luminous arc (under a different pen name). Anyhow, it's great to be back on track again.**

_**Oh, and, enjoy and please review.**_

Chapter 3 – First battle: Mattias

_We sure got ourselves into a lot of trouble._ I thought as I rolled in my bed. _We've met the Brilliant Witch, the Verdure Witch, the Tide Witch, the Shadow Frost Witch _and _a creepy chronographer, and there's still no sign of our teammates anywhere._ I sighed as I rolled again, anxiety crawling its way into my head. _What's worse, by tomorrow, we may get too associated with the other group we may not be able to pull ourselves out._

I sighed as I sat up on my bed and stared out the window at the distant moon. 'Alph?'

Alph, who was sleeping on the bed next to mine, said with a muffled sound, 'Yeah?'

'Do you think I made a mistake when I asked Cecille to join us?'

Alph now sat up too, turning his head in my direction. 'Why are you asking that?'

'Well, supposedly, our goal now is to find our teammates and return to our world…' I paused.

'Yeah. It's still our goal now.'

'But… Don't you think we're not making any progress here? I asked us to accompany the group so that we might have a better chance of finding our teammates, and now, look at the situation we're in.'

'Yes, but you're forgetting one thing, Lucia.'

'Huh?' I corked my head slightly to look at Alph's face. The moonlight glinted through the window, showing the calm expression on Alph's face.

'If we had gone with Cecille and searched for our friends on our own and did not succeed, _then _we'd be making no progress. But now we're with Roland and his team. Even though we can't find our teammates, we're still making progress because we're helping them save the world.' Alph smiled. 'Isn't that what the Witches and Ryms are for?'

I sighed, then looked at him and smiled slightly. 'Yeah, I guess you're right.'

'Well, good night, Lucia. We'll need our energy tomorrow.'

He turned and I directed my gaze to the moon again, shaking my head slightly and smiling. I still remembered the first time I met Alph when he was still an ignorant boy. _And now, he seems to understand more about the Witch-Rym destiny than I do…_

'All right, all right, gather up, people.' Captain Gaston shouted as we neared a rocky area in Granend. He stood in front of the whole troop, giving orders. 'Today, we'll be fighting a Witch, and possibly a Master. We all need to be in our best shapes.' He turned in the direction of our group. 'Captain Roland!'

'Yes!' Roland shouted, stepping forward.

'Take your group and find a place to hide. Steven and I will launch a frontal assault. We'll lure the Golems up the hill. When I give the signal, take the main road and charge. Time is of the essence. Stop the Shadow Frost Witch at all costs.'

'Yes sir!' Roland shouted.

'Isn't it better for us to come with you?' Alph said beside me. 'We'll take the Golems down in no time. Then we'll pursue the Shadow Frost Witch together.'

A look of confusion crossed the captain's face for a split second. Then he smiled knowingly. 'Ah. You must be the Alph I've been hearing so much about from Steiner. The captain of an informal knight squad, I heard? Well, I admire your bravery, son. But this is a battle, not a one-on-one tournament. And as I said earlier, time is of the essence. We can't afford to lose any more time than necessary. You'll do as I say. Follow Roland and stop the Shadow Frost Witch. This is an order from the captain of a _formal _knight squad.'

Alph gave no reply.

'So, that settles it. Tusk Squad, move out.'

Alph took my hand and hid behind a large rock beside the road as the others in our group looked for a hiding place as well. Cecille suddenly materialized beside me, making me jump. 'Alph, Lucia, take out your hands.'

I stared at Cecille, confused. 'What's the matter, Cecille?'

'I'm going to activate an attack-boost charm on you.'

'All… right,' Alph said, seeming as confused as I was. 'Is it really necessary?'

'You never know what kind of enemy you'll go up against. It's better to be prepared, that's all.' Cecille smiled.

I shrugged. 'Okay, I guess.'

The Vitae on top of her staff emanated a dark glow instead of the usually associated blinding green light associated with any boosting spells. _Well, she does wield the Dark Lapistier after all._

'Okay, it's done,' Cecille said, smiling.

'Thanks Cecille.'

As we waited, I lost myself in thoughts, thinking about the conversation Alph and I had had yesterday night, and slowly, I lost track of time.

I didn't know how many minutes had gone by when Roland shouted, 'Team Rune Fang, we're moving out! Go, go, go!' I directed my gaze ahead, and saw a deserted road. _Looks like the Captain's done on his end._

Hurriedly, we followed Roland as we dashed down the one-way road. Not long after, we saw a large flower-shaped stone structure rising above the horizon.

'We're here,' the Brilliant Witch called out.

'Finally,' Roland said. 'I hope we're not too late.'

'No,' the Brilliant Witch Dia said, apparently having spotted something. 'But we haven't got much time.'

Sprinting towards the structure, Roland cried as he readied his sword, 'Stop, Shadow Frost Witch!'

'You don't want to do this, Fatima,' Dia shouted.

'I must say I'm surprised,' the Shadow Frost Witch looked up from her a little black device she was holding and said. 'You managed to defeat the Golems I had in wait for you so quickly.' She eyed us once. 'And you're here as well. What a pity. You're just a little bit late.' She eyed the stone structure. 'Master will be revived any minute now.'

'Not if we can help it,' Roland cried, already charging in the Witch's direction. 'There are only two of you here. You're seriously outnumbered.'

'Now, Josie,' the Shadow Frost Witch said calmly.

The cat beside the Witch suddenly hopped into mid-air and landed in front of Roland. Roland stopped and held a defensive stance. To his dismay, however, it wasn't planning on attacking. Instead, it started singing a tune.

My mouth dropped open. _What is it doing?_

My question was quickly answered by the loud metal-clanking noise on either side of us as Golems started to emerge.

Roland groaned, clearly irritated by the other group's continuous use of Golems. As the Golems closed in on us, he lunged for the closest Golem he could see.

Suddenly, the whole scene seemed to come alive. Althea and Dia took out their wands and casting magic on the Golems; Rina readied her bow as Rasche lunged for another Golem with his spear; Alph let go of my hand and joined the battle. Staff in hand, I was ready for some Golem-smashing as well.

'Shine!' I shouted, pointing my staff at a Golem charging toward me. To my astonishment, the Vitae didn't glow and my attack failed.

'Shine!' I shouted, this time focusing my power into my Lapistier. The attack failed again. I was aghast at the sight. _My attacks have never failed before._

I could see the Golem was still charging this way. Desperately, I gave up on my attack and jumped out of the way. I raised my staff and hit it on the Golem. _Clank!_ It did nothing but a minor scratch on its body. _I should have known better. I'm no good at physical attacks._

Jumping a few yards back, I closed my eyes and tried desperately to channel my energy into the Lapistier. Nothing happened. Just then, the Golem reached me and knocked me down.

Climbing backward, I cried desperately, 'Alph! A little help please.'

An instant later, I was looking at two separate layers of the Golem's body as Alph sliced it in half. His expression was one of concern. I reached for his hand as he said, 'Are you okay, Lucia?'

'No,' I said. 'I can't use magic.'

'What? What do you mean?'

'I can't use magic,' I repeated, this time louder.

'But… But how is that possible?' Alph looked utterly confused.

'I don't… Behind you!' I gasped as I saw a Golem raising his blade. Alph swung his sword backward without even looking back, and the Golem was again sliced in half.

'I don't know, Alph!' I cried. 'I don't know. I feel energy draining from my body.'

'It's okay,' Alph assured me. 'Just leave everything to me, okay? Stay behind me.'

Just then, the earth seemed to tremble beneath us. Alph caught me just before I lost balance and fell.

'Oh no,' Dia called out. 'It's done. The enigamatron has been activated. The seal has been broken.'

'No!' Roland cried.

'Master Mattias is coming meow!' Josie said, seeming jubilant.

In the stone structure emerged a man with demon-like red eyes, wielding a black sword. His stance was terrifying, but my gaze was fixated on something else, something far more shocking to me than the emergence of the Demon Blade Wielder Master Mattias.

From behind the stone structure, a familiar figure slowly emerged. I stared in disbelief as I noticed his spiky red hair and massive physique. He was holding a large black sword accessorized with bony spikes. I would recognize that feature anywhere.

I tapped Alph on the shoulder and gestured at the figure. As he turned, he widened his eyes and blurted out, 'Leon?'

He pulled me to my feet and walked in Leon's direction. He was staring right back at us, but he didn't seem shocked like us, nor did he seem relieved like when Cecille had met us. In fact, I could tell he wasn't showing any emotion at all.

Then, suddenly, without a warning, Leon lunged at Alph.


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – First battle: Mattias (Part II)

(Alph's POV)

I didn't have time to react. Before I knew it, I was lying on the ground, wincing in pain and holding the part of my chest Leon had hit brutally with his elbow.

The Earth was still trembling, and the huge vibration sound seemed to have drowned out the sound of my fall, since I noticed everyone's gaze was still directed to the stone structure where Mattias was rising instead of the newly unfolded scene with Leon springing on me like a fierce animal.

'Leon! What are you doing?' I shouted.

To my astonishment, Leon's original emotionless face suddenly showed an urgent expression. He whispered to me, 'Shh! Don't talk so loudly! You'll blow my cover! I have something to tell you and we have little time. You're in great danger!'

I looked at Leon and his hands tightly grasping my vest. 'I see.'

I could hear Lucia's weak cry beside us. 'Leon, let go of Alph! What are you doing?'

Leon sighed without bothering to turn and tend to Lucia. 'Just shut up and close your eyes.'

An instant later, Leon was rolling us all the way to a space behind the stone structure. I demanded again, 'What _the hell _are you doing?'

'Shh! I was trying to be inconspicuous,' Leon whispered. 'Now listen and listen carefully. Cecille just gave you a charm. What was it?'

I raised my eyebrows. 'How do you know about that?'

'I was… following you.'

I felt anger rising. 'And it _never _occurred to you that you could join us? We could really use one more member. Together, we could have stopped the whole thing! Now look at the situation we're in!'

Leon whispered impatiently, 'Trust me. Mattias is the least of our worries now. Now tell me, what did Cecille do to you?'

'I'll never tell you anything, traitor!'

'Oh, come on. You and I have known each other since forever. And now you're calling me a traitor without even hearing what I have to say? That's not like you at all!'

I folded my arms and gave no reply.

Leon sighed. 'Just think about how Lucia can't use magic and you'll know what I'm talking about.'

He waited for me to process his words. Then I said cautiously, 'Let me get this straight. You're saying that the charm Cecille gave us is the reason Lucia can't use magic?'

Leon nodded.

'That's insane. It was a simple attack-boost charm.'

'Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that the Golems around here are nothing compared to our abilities. Cecille wasn't trying to help you. She was trying to _hurt _you.'

I frowned. 'But Cecille performed it on me too. Why am I not feeling anything?'

'Not _yet_,' Leon corrected. 'You're Lucia's Rym, Alph. You're a dragon and are physically stronger than Lucia. The charm still hasn't got to you, but you'll feel the effects soon.'

'What happens then?'

'I don't know. Maybe you'll feel drained of energy, I guess.'

I groaned impatiently and pushed his arms aside. 'You know what? I'm tired of your assumptions and allegations. I don't know what happened to you, but I think the crash from our world to this world has caused you to lose your mind. Cecille would never hurt us. She's our teammate!'

Leon nodded. 'Yes, you're right. She wouldn't.'

I was utterly confused right now. 'Then what are you getting at?'

Then he said slowly, emphasizing each word. 'Simply put, she is _not _Cecille.'

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked at Leon, dumbfounded. Then I couldn't contain myself and laughed. 'You really must have lost your mind! You really should have your brain checked. Last time I checked, the girl with the brown hair and the priestess costume wielding the Dark Lapistier _is _Cecille.'

Leon grasped my shoulders. 'Alph, you have to trust me. I may not be a Witch, but I know there's a kind of magic in this world called _transformation magic._' He paused. 'The real Cecille was attacked. I saw it with my own eyes! The girl you're calling Cecille right now stole her Lapistier and posed as her to fool you! Heck, she tried to eliminate me as well!'

Slowly, Leon took off his armor and raised his grey shirt. I stared at his chest as I widened my eyes in disbelief. On his bare chest was a huge cross-shaped scar clearly healed not long ago. I stuttered, 'The girl… did this to you?'

Leon nodded.

'Who _is _she?'

'I don't know.'

'But… how is this possible? Cecille is strong. We all saw her abilities in combat. _You _are strong. How could anyone beat you like this?'

'Yes. But you're forgetting one thing. The incident happened not long after we entered this world. You're here, so you should understand that we were still recovering from the impact at the time. Then the person showed up, seized the opportunity and attacked us.'

'There's still something I don't understand. How did you know where to find us?'

'I didn't. The enemy took Cecille away and I was trying to save her, and then I bumped into you guys. You were on your way here. I was just about to join you and tell you the situation until I saw Cecille with you. It took me just a moment to realize she wasn't the real Cecille. I was waiting for a chance to speak to you alone, but I see there's no time now that she's made her move. Trust me, Cecille is in danger, and so are you. Just get Lucia and get out of here, and fast.'

Our conversation was interrupted by a sound of dark laughter. I jerked my head immediately and found Cecille looking at us, her face showing nothing but ferocity, clearly not matching the usual calm and friendly expression she wore.

'Damn,' Leon muttered under his voice.

But Cecille's appearance like this wasn't the only thing that shocked me. What was more shocking was the whole scene before me. Cecille was holding another person's forehead with one hand, and pointing her staff at the person's neck with the other. And clearly, that person was… Lucia.

'Lucia!' I cried.

I could see tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head slightly and said, 'I'm sorry, Alph. We got tricked.'

I pushed Leon aside and jumped up, readying my sword on the way. 'You son of a…'

'Now, now,' Cecille said, pushing her staff deeper into Lucia's neck until I could see a line of blood flowing down. 'Let's not be hasty, shall we? Take one more step, and she dies.'

I stopped abruptly in my tracks. 'Let her go!' I shouted, gritting my teeth and breathing hard. Cecille ignored me, turned her head to face Leon and said, 'Well, well, it looks like you survived.'

'Who are you?' Leon demanded. 'Where's the real Cecille?'

'You'll learn that soon enough, but first, I must thank you…' Cecille said as she reached into Lucia's pocket and produced a small white crystal. '…for this.'

'Why?' I asked, gritting my teeth.

'Hmm?'

'If you wanted the Lapistier so much, why didn't you kill us when you met us? Why wait until now?'

Cecille chuckled. 'Don't think I didn't intend to do that. Or did you forget already? I asked you to come with me for the search of your friends the first time we met. I intended to kill you then and take Lucia's Lapistier. Your precious Lucia was the one who insisted that I accompany the group. I thought I might use you as pawns to know the rest of the group's whereabouts.' She shrugged. 'That was… until yesterday night.'

'What?' I demanded, gritting my teeth so hard I felt they were going to break.

Cecille chuckled again, apparently enjoying the moment of my frustration. 'Alph, you don't remember? Or do I have to replay it for you?' Then she started imitating my voice. _'If we had gone with Cecille and searched for our friends on our own and did not succeed, then we'd be making no progress. But now we're with Roland and his team. Even though we can't find our teammates, we're still making progress because we're helping them save the world. Isn't that what the Witches and Ryms are for?'_

I felt like my head was going to burst. 'You _eavesdropped _on us?'

Cecille laughed. 'Eavesdrop? Not so much. I was in the same room as you and Lucia. I simply _overheard. _It was then that I realized I couldn't depend on you to find your other teammates. You don't even care about your teammates. You can fool Lucia, but you can't fool me. I can see you're very happy with Roland and his team. And so I made a move.' She paused. 'So you see, Alph? The entire thing is your fault!'

'I do care about my teammates!' I shouted. 'I've been trying as hard as I could to locate our teammates.'

'Or have you?' Cecille asked. 'Well, never mind. Now that I've got what I wanted, I'll be going now.' She sighed. 'Looks like it's on to me to find your teammates. Toodle-oo.'

'Wait!' I cried. But she already vanished, along with Lucia.

'Damn!' Leon cried. 'Damn, damn, damn!'

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the fake Cecille's voice echoed. 'If you want to save Cecille, go to the sealed landmass in Sealmaw Sea. But you'd better hurry.' She chuckled. 'I don't think she likes it there.' The sound of her dark laughter then echoed for a few seconds before fading.

'The sealed landmass in Sealmaw Sea,' Leon repeated. 'I've gotta go there.'

'I'm coming with you,' I said.

'No, you aren't.'

'Yes, I _am_!' I said, raising my voice. 'She took Lucia! I'm going to save her no matter what!'

Leon put his hands on my shoulders. 'Alph, I know you care very much about Lucia, but in case you've forgotten, that girl put a charm on you. You saw what the charm did to Lucia.' He sighed. 'You can't possibly help me without your abilities, can you, Alph? And frankly, I'm not going to be able to save your ass every time you get in trouble.'

'I don't care!' I shouted. '_I _am Lucia's Rym. _I _was supposed to protect her. I don't care if I have to die!' I felt tear appearing in my eyes. I shook my head. 'I _love_ her, Leon.'

Leon sighed. 'Well, if you're that persistent…'

Then suddenly, I felt a sharp piercing pain in my head, and I blacked out.

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**I think I seriously need to retitle this chapter... Well, that's it for now. Enjoy and please review.**


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Alph's POV)

_My head hurts. _I woke up with a start and found myself lying in bed in a deserted room. _Where am I?_

Suddenly, memories came flooding my head. _Leon was in Granend. Cecille was a fake. Lucia was kidnapped! _I paused. _Then why _the hell _did I end up in here?_

I tried to sit up, and something fell from my forehead and landed loudly on the floor. I crouched down and picked it up. _An ice pack?_

I surveyed my surroundings. It was just an ordinary bedroom. Judging by the dark view outside my window, it was already late at night.

A loud sound made me jump as someone opened the bedroom door. Then a voice called out, 'Luna, he's awake!'

I recognized that voice. It was Dia's. She then flipped on the lights and came in along with Luna, the Tide Witch. She sat on the other side of the bed and said, 'You feeling okay, kid?'

'Can I get you some water?' Luna offered.

'Uh… yeah, thanks,' I said, and Luna hurried out of the room. I turned to Dia and asked, 'Where am I?'

'You're in Carnava Palace.'

'_Carnava Palace?'_ I nearly shouted. '_But I have to go and get Lucia back!'_

'Now, now, don't get too hasty,' Dia said. 'You need some rest first.'

'But Lucia…'

'We know!' Dia said. 'Your friend Leon told us everything.'

I widened my eyes. 'He _did?_'

Dia nodded calmly.

'Then what are you waiting for? We need to get Lucia _back_!'

'Kid.' Dia began to sound impatient. 'In situations like this, you need to first _calm yourself down!_'

I gave no reply.

She stared at me and after a while, her face showed pity as she said, 'Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through.'

I scoffed. 'You have _no _idea.'

'Trust me, kid. Soon you'll get over it.'

I stared at her blankly. 'How could you possibly _get over _something like that?'

Dia smiled calmly. 'Someday you'll meet another nice girl and you won't need to worry about Lucia anymore.'

I couldn't believe my ears. 'How can you talk like that? I thought you were the _leader _of the Witches! Can't you talk sense?'

Dia sighed. 'I know you're angry, and I don't blame you. I know how terrible it must feel to be dumped.'

Now I was bewildered. 'What?'

'Wasn't that what happened? You had an argument with Lucia, she hit you in the head and walked away on her own. That's what Leon told us.' Then she leaned over and whispered in my ear, 'Don't worry. No one's holding anything against you. Well, of course you got distracted in the most important battle, but we could only have done worse without you.'

I felt as if I was going to have a heart attack. _Leon, you idiot!_

'For Christ's sake, I was not dumped!' I said, emphasizing each word. 'Someone kidnapped Lucia. She's in terrible danger and I have to save her.'

Dia seemed taken aback. 'What are you talking about?'

'Someone kidnapped Lucia!' I repeated, louder this time.

Dia's expression of pity intensified. 'Awww… Lucia must have hit you over the head too hard.'

'No. I mean it! We have to go, or it will be too late!' I tried to get out of bed, but Dia stopped me.

'You know what?' she said softly. 'You get some rest first. Then we'll chase Lucia first thing in the morning, ok?'

_She's never going to understand._ I sighed. 'You know what? You're right. I should probably get some rest.'

'Good.'

At that moment, Luna came in, handed me a cup of water and said, 'Here you go.'

'Thank you, Luna,' I said as I took the cup.

'Come on, Luna,' Dia said as she got on her feet and took Luna's hand.

As they closed the bedroom door, I collapsed back on the bed. It was becoming clear to me. _Leon hit me over the head to stop me from accompanying him to save Cecille and Lucia. He told everyone a lie to stop them_ _from accompanying him._ I shook my head. _Leon just doesn't understand the importance of teamwork._

It reminded me of the time Leon tried to hunt Andre down to avenge his father, the Lion King. He had persuaded everyone to let him have his revenge on his own.

I shook the memory off and started pondering something else, most probably something that required the most of my attention – the real identity of the enemy and her goal. Apparently, Leon didn't know the answer to that; otherwise, he would have told me right away. I closed my eyes as I considered the possibilities.

_She's an enemy who knows _both _transformation magic _and _teleportation magic. Furthermore, she can use the power of any Lapistier she can get her hands on._

_That rules out Zehaal, who is the only non-teammate who gets sucked into this world. Obviously, it cannot be any one of my teammates. That leaves only one possibility: she is from this world. But what is her motive? Why is she targeting us and not the members of this world?_

Little did I know that I was thinking completely the wrong way.


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(Leon's POV)

As I neared Sealmaw Sea, my heart was pounding. Whether it was out of anxiety or excitement, I didn't know. But I knew one thing: I was going to save Cecille, no matter what.

The moon hung high above me, and I thought about Alph, who was probably resting back in the palace right now. I'd never intended to take such desperate measures, but Alph was being difficult. _I'm sorry, Alph. It's for your own good._

I could already hear the sound of crashing waves, so I knew it would not be long until I reached there. The atmosphere here was incredibly peaceful. But for the pressing rescue mission I was on right now, I might actually enjoy taking a rest here.

As expected, not more than several minutes later, I stepped out of the huge forest and into the beach. To my surprise, there was nobody there. I turned sideways. Though there was nothing to obstruct my view, I couldn't see a single human here.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of quiet breathing behind me, and I abruptly turned around. There, a person was resting her back against a tree, her arms folded in front of her chest. She had long brown hair and was wearing a priestess costume.

The sudden bolt of joy abruptly turned into hatred as I realized who she _really _was. She giggled and said, 'Oh, Leon, you're so predictable.'

'What?' I demanded.

'Didn't they teach you at the Church that you shouldn't believe what your enemies tell you? I told you Cecille was here and I knew you'd be here because you care for Cecille, _very much._ When you think of it, it was the most obvious kind of trap, actually.'

I was suddenly numb with shock, not because of the trap, but because of what she had just said. _Church! The Luminous Church! How the hell does she know about that?_

"Cecille" giggled again. 'Cat got your tongue, "Young Lion King"?'

I went number. She seemed to know _everything_ about us. I could have sworn I hadn't used my nickname ever since I ended up here.

She suddenly materialized beside me, her staff pointed at me. 'Now that I've got you on your own, you're a dead man.'

I finally found my tongue. 'You really think you can beat me that easily?' I jumped backward, drew my sword, the Regulus Heart, and held a defensive stance.

She laughed. 'I wield _both _the Dark Lapistier _and _the Light Lapistier. I can kill you in less than a minute.' Then she held out her staff. 'But if you want to play, we have plenty of time.' She lunged at me, thrusting her staff forward.

I defended myself with ease, but before I could launch a counter-attack, her staff was again making its way towards my body.

Her attacks were nowhere near powerful, but she was very fast. Though I was sure I wouldn't lose with her dealing only physical attacks, I knew I had no chance of winning either. Then I made up my mind.

As I blocked another one of her attacks, I started shouting, 'You may think you're strong, but you're just a coward.'

'Oh?' She said smoothly without slowing her attacks. 'How so?'

I scoffed as I dodged leftward from her attack. 'If not, why would you steal Cecille's Lapistier when she was nowhere in shape for a battle? Why would you wait until I was alone to attack me?' I scoffed louder. 'You don't even have the guts to show your own identity fearing we might seek revenge.'

She laughed. 'You don't need to taunt me. There is only one goal for me, and I will do anything to achieve that goal. But if you don't like me in Cecille's form, I would much happily oblige.'

She withdrew her staff and jumped backward. She suddenly glowed as her features suddenly began to change – her long brown hair into cropped black hair, her round face into a face with prominent contours and her whole body into the body of a _male._

I nearly dropped my weapon as I examined his features. He was a man I would never forget. I was staring at the vivid image of my own father.

His mouth tipped up, and he was clearly savoring the moment. Then he lunged for me again.

But this time, I was completely unprepared. Before I knew it, I felt piercing pain in my chest and fell. Desperately, I crawled backwards, wincing and clutching my chest tightly. _Nice going, Leon._ My plan had failed completely, and now I was the one injured instead of my enemy before me.

He gained on me, and when he finally reached me, he stepped on my body and pointed his staff at my neck. 'Now, any last words, Leon?'

'Alph!' I blurted out, pointing somewhere behind my enemy.

A look of alarm crossed his face as he turned abruptly around. I saw my chance, pushed his staff aside and knocked him on the floor. By the time he knew it was a trap, it was too late. He wanted to get up but I drew my sword and thrust it right through his chest.

He smiled weakly as blood flowed from his mouth. 'That was... so low, Leon.'

'Like you said, I have a goal, and I'm going to do anything to achieve it. Now, where's Cecille?'

He laughed weakly. 'I would never…'

I pushed my sword further. 'WHERE ARE THEY?'

'Okay, okay…' he managed and inhaled. 'She's… at the Conclusion Gate.'

'Where's the Conclusion Gate?'

'In… the middle of Sealmaw Sea.'

I pulled my sword out and he shrieked in pain. I put it back into my scabbard, hastily took care of my wounds and walked away, not bothering even to turn my head.

As I walked on, I was suddenly filled with unexpected anxiety. The uneasiness grew within me, but I couldn't place its source.

Suddenly, my back was subjected to an enormous force, sending me spinning fiercely forward. I landed hard on my back, and I was astonished to see my enemy some 20 yards in front of me, alive and well.

'Impossible!' I shouted.

He had transformed into Cecille again, and was holding her staff, now imbued with the Dark Lapistier. _What's it with her and Cecille?_

She approached me and said, 'I never thought it would come to this so fast. But you played dirty, so I had to use this as well.' She produced the Light Lapistier in her hand.

'Fortunately for me, I can use any Lapistier and use them to their full potentials, unlike the Witches.' She smiled wickedly. 'The Light Lapistier allows the user to use the most efficient healing magic; the Dark Lapistier allows the user to deal the most effective attacks. The perfect combination.' She raised her staff.

_I'm not prepared to die yet!_ I struggled backward. _Cecille is in danger! Alph and Lucia is in danger._ But I saw no alternative. The way things were going, I was going to die. I shut my eyes tight and prayed for Alph. _I'm sorry._

At that moment, a voice behind me called out, 'So are ours.'

That voice sounded strangely familiar. I opened my eyes, and I saw that my enemy's gaze was fixated somewhere behind me, and she had ceased to attack. Slowly and cautiously, I turned my head.

I gasped for air as I identified the people behind me. It was a group of five people. The person in front had long purple hair and had a mark on her forehead. She was wearing a large pointed hat and was holding a book. I blurted out, 'Claire!'

'Don't worry, Leon,' Claire said. 'We're here to save you.'

A red-haired girl grunted, 'That's what we're here for, Claire? Leon can handle himself! I was enjoying myself in the spa!'

'Vanessa!' I called out.

A blue-haired girl yawned. 'And I was sleeeeeping. I'm soooo tired.'

'Vivi!' My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. I located the last two members and gasped, 'Mel! Mavi! You're all here?'

Mel laughed. 'Claire and I dragged Vivi from a snowy mountain top. She was a handful.'

Mavi scowled, swinging her hands around. 'Let's see if she can stand my fists of fury!'

Claire smiled. 'Well, I would be a lousy leader if I couldn't sense the whereabouts of my sisters, would I?'

'Well, well, this must be my lucky day,' Cecille said as she withdrew her staff. 'I was starting to worry about how I might not be able to locate all your Lapistier, but apparently they've found me.'

'Whoever you are, give us back the Dark and the Light Lapistier,' Claire said in a calm voice. 'There are five of us, and one of you. You have no chance of winning.'

Cecille smiled darkly. 'We'll see about that.'

With that, she stepped forward and readied her staff. Claire motioned for her sisters to fan out. I sighed. _It's going to be one heck of a fight._


	9. Chapter 7

**Author's notes:**

**Sorry... again. Last August wasn't a really good writing month for me, considering it was the month I got my exam results and all. School has begun and I have to tell you: The advanced level is no joke! I'm getting really busy and the only time I have left for myself whether to write or just relax are literally the Saturdays and the Sundays.**

**Anyway, enough about me. Get on with the story.**

**Oh, and by the way, if you guys have any idea who 'Cecille' is, give a review. I'd very much like to hear your speculations/thoughts XD. (Anonymous reviews have been enabled)  
One little hint: It is not a character I invented. It is a character originally present in the LA/LA2 series. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

(Alph's POV)

I rolled and rolled in my bed, but I still couldn't sleep. I was still trying to convince myself that Leon was going to take care of everything for us, but undoubtedly my efforts were in vain.

I sat up. _There's no way I'm going to just sit here and do nothing. _But it was also clear to me that what Leon had said made perfect sense – I alone couldn't do much to help. _And Dia and the others just wouldn't believe me either!_

I looked around until I spotted the glass of water on the table next to my bed Luna had just given me, and I made up my mind. Hastily, I dragged myself toward the window and tore a part of the curtain down. Then I bit my finger and dropped a few blood drops into the glass, making the water inside diluted red ink.

I scribbled something on the torn piece of curtain, dried it and carefully folded it and put it on the table. Then quietly, with some effort, I opened the door and walked out. I hadn't expected to see anyone out here in the hall, but it was unbelievably quiet.

The walls in the hall were either adorned with paintings or occupied by bedroom doors. I hadn't exactly explored the whole palace, so I was at a loss of where I was. Grunting internally, I went on, hoping to see any sign that would indicate the way out of the palace.

I walked as cautiously as I could, but my footsteps were still heavy. The hall remained silent as usual. Luckily for me, all the way to the end of the hall, I didn't encounter Dia or Luna. But I was far from relieved.

Approaching the end of the hall, I found myself looking at a huge circular hall with multiple doors. I sighed. _Great. How am I supposed to get out of here?_

A voice broke the silence. 'Where the hell is Wendell?'

I jumped. I stopped in my tracks as a young man walked in here from another hallway directly opposite to me. It was a man I'd encountered only once. _Steiner._

The hall was only lit by the moonlight filtered by the skylights above, but it was bright enough for my dilated pupils to see clearly.

Steiner was wearing his usual green armor, but this time, instead of radiating coolness like the last time, he was walking fast and wearing a desperate expression.

I hid myself in the darkness of the long hallway, and strained to press myself hard against a bedroom door. I was not about to be seen and had my plan ruined.

'That Wendell,' Steiner continued in frustration. 'He's gone every time you need him!' He was now at the center of the hall, but he wasn't heading toward any particular door, as if he himself wasn't sure where he was going to look.

My knees became weaker and weaker, and it occurred to me that the 'attack-boost spell' was taking effect. I grabbed the side of the bedroom door with both hands, but even they were giving in. I sweated on the inside. _Give me one more minute._

But Steiner just stood there hesitantly, and by the look of it, he wasn't going to make up his mind anytime soon.

After what seemed like forever, Steiner started moving toward a door labeled 'Audience Room'. By that time, large droplets of sweat were already forming on my forehead. I was using the last few drops of energy to hold myself up.

Just when he was about to open the door and I was about to sigh with relief, my hands slipped and I fell, producing a loud 'thud' sound, echoing clearly in the hall.

'Who's there?' Steiner shouted at my direction.

_Great._ He was fast approaching and my mind whacked itself for ideas.I pushed the bedroom door as hard as I could but it didn't budge; I reached for the doorknob desperately but the door was locked. I sighed. _And there I thought I might actually have a chance._

It didn't take long before Steiner reached me. 'An intruder?' he scowled, and he pulled me to my feet and out of the hallway into the hall. His stern expression turned into one of bewilderment as he saw who he was dealing with. '_Alph?'_

I sighed in frustration.

'What are you doing here?' Steiner pressed. 'I thought you were at the castle gate with the others.'

I looked up. 'The Castle Gate?'

'I thought we had every guard and soldier notified. Beast fiends are appearing near the castle. Everyone is doing his job defending it! So what are you doing here?' His expression grew more and more suspicious.

'You mean Dia and Luna are…'

'They're long gone already!'

I felt a pang of realization. _No wonder the hallway had been so quiet._ And I had been so worried I would be spotted on my way out. I felt so stupid!

He let go of me, but I nearly collapsed as my body didn't have enough strength to support even itself. He caught me again swiftly before my body touched the ground. His face showed only shock now. 'Oh, my God. You're hurt! Who did this to you?'

I was suddenly lost in my own thoughts. _The Witches won't listen to me; I can't depend on myself to help Leon, given my condition; all my other comrades have already gone to defend the castle._ That left only one choice.

'It doesn't matter,' I said hastily. 'I'm the least of my troubles now.' I took a deep breath before I continued, 'Listen. You have to save Lucia…'

'You mean the girl you were with?' Steiner interrupted. 'Oh yeah. Where is she?'

'I was just getting to that. The person who did this to me kidnapped Lucia. And I need your help to get her back. My friend Leon had already engaged in the rescue mission, but I am very worried. We don't know exactly how strong the enemy is, and we don't know what she's up to…' Steiner stared at me in bewilderment. I sighed and gave him a much abridged version of the story.

Steiner listened patiently, but the frown on his face became more and more pronounced. When I was finished, he sighed. 'It looks to me that it is not just your problem, Alph. According to you, whoever it was that had your friend had the Light Lapistier and the Dark Lapistier, and without knowing her goal, she could be targeting us as well.'

He paused, looking deep in thought. Then he finally said, 'Unfortunately, we have a crisis here in the castle as we speak. I don't know when the attacks will cease and I can't leave the castle yet. So you have to do this alone.'

'But I…' I tried to protest, but I was interrupted.

'That's why I need to take you to my laboratory. I have just the thing you need to regain your power.' He smiled warmly at me. Pulling me to my feet, he wrapped a hand around me to support my weight. Then slowly, he led the way.

I was feeling hopeful again, and I was beginning to like Steiner more and more.

What I didn't notice then was the evil grin he wore when he turned away, a grin he wore to congratulate himself on his successful attempt to lure me into his plan.

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**That's it for now. Don't forget to give a reviewXD**


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

(Leon's POV)

Silence hung. Tension grew in the air. Neither side had begun their attack yet. Beside me, Cecille was trembling and getting worked up; opposite to me, Claire and her team were holding an offensive stance but were remaining motionless as well.

Then Claire broke the silence. 'Who are you? What is your purpose here?'

Cecille answered coolly, 'I'm here to destroy your world. Once I have retrieved all seven Lapistier, I will open the Conclusion Gate and the world as you know it will disappear. That is my purpose. As for my name… I probably shouldn't tell you. That wouldn't be much fun.' She giggled at the end.

I gritted my teeth. 'Just what do you hope to achieve by destroying our world?'

Cecille scoffed. 'You're annoying me, Lion Boy. But I will have to deal with you later, after I have taken care of these clowns.'

'That does it,' Vanessa scowled. She held her scythe tight and the fire Lapistier on top started glowing.

'Wait!' Claire shouted, but Vanessa had already created a fireball with her Lapistier and it was charging toward Cecille at an incredible speed. I was suddenly subjected to an enormous force and an instant later, I was lying beside Mavi.

'Are you crazy, Vanessa?' Mavi shouted. 'You could have hurt Leon if I hadn't acted fast enough!' It was then that I realized the vines that were still grabbing my body.

Vanessa didn't seem to hear. 'Did we get her?'

I looked at Cecille's direction, but she was gone. I jumped when someone suddenly materialized behind us. I jerked my head fiercely, and I saw Cecille standing there, the Light Lapistier glowing impossibly bright, and then with a thrust, she threw a ball of light straight at Vanessa. By the time Vanessa held up her scythe to defend, it was too late, and she was sent flying in the other direction.

Cecille withdrew her staff in slow motion. Then she shook her head and said, 'You're too slow.'

'Now!' cried Claire, and the whole scene came alive before me. Mavi was the first to attack. She jumped eagerly forward, swinging her fists on the way. Then Claire opened her spellbook and the clouds above us started to accumulate as the thunder Lapistier glowed. Mel, on the other hand, went in the other direction to check on Vanessa. Vivi was looking for ways to assist Mavi once in a while.

But no matter how fast Mavi's fists and Vivi's attacks were, Cecille was always a little bit faster. Though they managed to give Cecille no time for attacks, they couldn't even touch her either.

'Let me go,' I cried as I struggled in the vines. 'I can help you!' But everyone was so concentrated on their attacks I wondered if they could even hear me.

Then Cecille suddenly jumped backward and her Dark Lapistier started to glow. Everyone was ready and was holding a defensive stance, dark strands of light emerged in front Cecille and with a thrust, they charged. But this time, it wasn't directed toward any of the Witches; it was directed towards me.

'Why, you!' Claire grunted. Then in a desperate attempt, Claire raised her spellbook and thunder struck the strands of light. I was also immediately surrounded by layers and layers of vine, but the thunder did no damage to the light and the vines weren't strong enough to protect me either. The vines broke one by one with a horrifying cracking sound and I was hit again, by the same force that had knocked me down just 10 minutes ago.

I was thrown in the air. By the time my body touched the ground, I was already some one hundred yards away, coughing violently.

_At least no vines are grabbing me now._ I thought playfully, but even though that was so, I was so weak now I couldn't move an inch, though from my position I could still see clearly the whole fighting scene.

I could do nothing now but pray for them.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

(Alph's POV)

I followed Steiner appreciatively. After about 15 minutes of twists and turns inside the castle, Steiner led me to a small laboratory.

He led the way inside, helping me settle on a chair near the entrance. I had been to Steiner's old laboratory once, when I had fought the Golems. This one didn't look much different.

'Is this your new laboratory?' I heard myself ask.

'In a way, it isn't,' Steiner said, and then grinned. 'It's just a backup laboratory for emergencies in the castle. The new laboratory we have built for the replacement of the old, shattered one is outside the castle.'

'What exactly are we doing here?' I asked.

'Do you remember the last time we met, when you fought off the Golems for us?'

'I was actually just thinking that. So yeah.'

'Then do you remember that time, there was a device called the Runic Engine which accidentally bonded with Roland?'

'And gave him incredible power. He's been using it ever since. How could I forget?'

'Good. Because I'm going to give you a refined version of the same device.' He took a large Vitae from a table and carefully held it in front of me. 'Behold the beta version of the Engine!'

I nearly laughed at the drama. Before I could say anything though, he continued, 'But there is something you need to know first.'

'What?' I asked, suddenly nervous.

'The Engine is not yet complete. It will give you immeasurable power, yes, but there may be side effects. We haven't tested it on a live human yet. Worse still, there are some important elements we haven't even inserted into the Engine.'

'Thanks for your concern, Steiner,' I said, and I could hear the determination in my voice. 'But I can't care about that anymore. Lucia's in danger. I have to do anything in my power to save her.'

There was a hint of warmth in Steiner's eyes. Then he said, 'Then I will have to give you this.' He produced a small chip from his pocket.

'What is that?' I asked.

'It's a stabilizer chip. It will minimize the damage of any side effect you may encounter during your mission. But in any case, don't strain yourself! We don't know what may happen.' Then he smiled. 'I like you, Alph, and I don't want anything to happen to you.'

'Thanks.' I took the Runic Engine and was prepared to put it on when it automatically locked on my wrist. 'Wow,' I said. 'Improved technology, huh?'

Suddenly I felt energy rushing into me. It was warm and comfortable. For the first time in… 30 minutes, I could again feel the joy of wielding the power of a Rym.

Breathing deeply, I stood up and waved my hands around. Steiner interrupted, 'Don't forget the chip.'

'Oh, thanks,' I said as I took it and inserted it into my Engine. 'So, I guess I'll be heading out.'

'Good luck.'

I smiled. 'You too.'


	12. Chapter 10

**Author's notes:**

**I can't believe it's been this long XD. AL's kicking ass, but I'm never giving in! My passion is ever lasting. Well, here you go. Chapter 10. Enjoy ^^**

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Chapter 10

(Leon's POV)

The battle went on. Vanessa was healing beside me and Mel was turning her attention to me now. I could see she was sweating, but her expression remained determined.

On the far side, physical attacks had ceased. Instead, the three witches were concentrating on elemental attacks now. Flash after flash of lightning struck the ground, all directed to Cecille. Vines came from the ground and tried to grab her in all directions. The wind howled so fiercely even the trees near me were shaking. But whatever tricks they used, Cecille would just dodge the attacks.

'Wow,' I said in spite of myself. 'One against three? You have to admit, she is really good.'

Vanessa scoffed behind me. 'Yeah,' she said sarcastically. 'Good at escaping.'

I looked at her, disbelieving. 'She wounded you too.'

'Just shut up, will you?' Vanessa growled. Then she tried to pull herself to her feet. 'I'm going to help.'

'Wait,' Mel cried. 'You can't. Your wounds have not fully healed yet.'

I grabbed her hand. 'Listen to her, Vanessa. Given your condition, you'll just be a burden to them.'

'Oh yeah?' Vanessa growled as she shook off my hand. 'Watch me.' Then she got up and walked away.

'Vanessa!' I cried, and then I turned to Mel. 'What are you doing? Do something!'

'I can't,' Mel said, and I could hear the frustration in her voice. 'You're undergoing the most critical moment of the healing part. If I went, all my efforts would have been in vain, and you would remain seriously hurt.'

_Great! _I thought helplessly as I saw Vanessa walk further and further._ Just great!_

(Claire's POV)

I was sweating. My hair was standing on ends. I was concentrating so hard I had to shut my eyes and use my Witch sense to sense the location of Cecille when I attacked. Never had I encountered a battle so intense after the battle with Zehaal. The battles I had gone through when I had sought my sisters out were really just child's play.

'Your pesky attempts are really getting on my nerves,' Cecille shouted as she dodged another one of Mavi's fist attacks. 'Now it's my turn.'

She jumped back a few yards and cast the Dark Lapistier into the air. Instead of falling back to her hand, it stayed there. Cecille glared at me and said, 'Behold the true power of the Dark Lapistier.'

'I'm not done with you yet,' Mavi shouted as she caught up with Cecille and hit the ground with her fist. The stone structure beneath her came alive as vines shot from the ground toward Cecille.

Cecille scoffed. The Light Lapistier on her staff glowed, and a barrier of white light appeared before her, deflecting the attacks that came from all directions. Meanwhile, the Dark Lapistier above her emanated a dark glow in stark contrast to the warm white light that was protecting her.

I frowned as I noticed the dark light took its physical form as three dark arrows, their tips unsettlingly pointed straight at me. _What is this? Does the Dark Lapistier really have this kind of power?_

'The Light Lapistier and the Dark Lapistier are of two opposite natures,' Cecille said as the arrows hovered in a circle above her. 'They have the potential to destroy one another, but when used together, they amplify each other's powers.' She sighed. 'How sad. Playtime's already over… I thought you were better than that, Claire.'

I bit my lip as I whacked my brain for another strategy. The arrows were spinning faster now, and looked ready to charge.

'Here's a lesson for you,' a voice suddenly called out from behind Cecille. 'Don't ever turn your back on your enemy. Now you're gonna pay for what you just did. Hellfire!'

I instantly felt relieved. Vanessa just chose the perfect time to show up. Despite Cecille's inhuman agility, Vanessa caught her off guard. The hovering arrows exploded and turned into ashes. A fireball broke through Cecille's defenses and hit her fiercely on the back.

Vanessa sneered, 'Look who's slow now.'

'Nice one, Vanessa,' Mavi called as she jumped and dealt another blow with her fist, sending Cecille into the water with a loud splash. 'It's your turn, Claire.'

I nodded as my hair flowed again as I summoned thunderclouds. 'Let's see if you can dodge this!' A bolt of lightning illuminated the dark sky, electrifying everything on the surface of the water.

Cecille shrieked as the current passed through her body. The Dark Lapistier that was originally in the air dropped to the ground. When I was convinced that Cecille had been knocked out cold, I picked the Dark Lapistier up, closed my magic book and turned to Vivi. 'Fly over there and save the girl. We need to retrieve the Light Lapistier.'

'Okaaay, Claire,' Vivi yawned as she said. I chuckled, not understanding how Vivi could get tired so quickly after the fierce battle. _What's done is done._

I could feel my heart beating fiercely. I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I gasped for air. _We won the battle, barely…_

I held up the Dark Lapistier and examined the crystal Vitae closely. The surfaces were smooth and the tips were beautifully formed. There was nothing strange about it. _Then where did all the power come from?_

I pocketed the Lapistier and turned to check on Leon. I had hardly taken my first step when Mavi suddenly shouted behind me, 'Vivi, look out!'

It was like thunder to me. I jerked my head and readied my spell book, but it was too late. With a loud splash, Cecille had shot herself out of the water, caught Vivi in mid-air, and then landed in front of us.

'How…' I couldn't say anything more than that.

'Persistent brat…' Vanessa scowled.

The part of her skin that had been burnt by the electricity was quickly healing itself as she absorbed the energy from the Light Lapistier. At this critical stage of the healing process, we all knew it was the perfect chance if we wanted to eliminate her once and for all. But I still wanted to get some answers from her, and, more importantly, she was holding Vivi hostage.

Cecille lowered her head and chuckled. 'Using the whole sea against me. I gotta say, that was clever…' She jerked her head up and looked at me with ferocity. 'But you just guaranteed the loss of this battle.'


	13. Chapter 11

**Author's notes:  
Second installment! Well, it's a short installment, but oh well...**

* * *

Chapter 11

(?)

_What is this strange… presence? This isn't any one of my children… Has the seal been broken? No… My child hasn't made his move yet… Then what is that thing in my garden…_


	14. Chapter 12

**Here's Chapter 12. Enjoy :3**

* * *

Chapter 12

(Alph's POV)

The moon has travelled its way to the far west. I was sweating frantically as I kept turning my map right side up and upside down. _I should have known better. I was never good at reading maps._

I was silently grateful that Steiner had risked himself trying to get me out of the castle using the back gate, when he knew the castle so desperately needed reinforcements. Deep in my heart, I knew I felt ashamed because I'd left everyone on their own, but I'd have to make it up to them later. The longer I lingered here, the more endangered Lucia would be. But I couldn't see a way out of this labyrinth of trees and bushes.

It was like the first time I'd made my crash into this world. Only this time, I didn't have Lucia with me. I sighed. I hadn't realized how much I was depending on her although _I_ was supposed to be her protector.

I shook my head. _I can't lose concentration now. Lucia needs me._ I continued studying the map and surveying my surroundings, comparing them to the different locations marked on the confusing map. I had been running all night, and I wasn't about to stop until I'd found Lucia.

_This way? No… it can't be right. It leads to nowhere… _I groaned in frustration.

'Looking for someone?' A creepy voice said behind me, sending a chill down my spine.

I turned around and had my sword ready, but then I heaved a sigh of relief as I saw who he was.

'Wendell,' I said. 'Thank goodness. I'm having a lot of trouble reading this map…'

'Hmm,' Wendell interrupted, and something in his voice was making me uneasy. He came toward me slowly, held up my hand and gestured at the Engine. 'Did Steiner give you this?'

'Well, yeah…' I said. 'Oh, and speaking of whom, he's looking for you.'

'Ah, Steiner… of course he's looking for me, hmm?' He suddenly gasped and pointed in the direction behind me. 'What's that?'

I turned around abruptly, but I didn't see anything. I looked back at Wendell questioningly and he grinned. 'Just kidding. Haha, got you, Alph.'

My uneasiness grew.

'I believe what you're looking for is right down this road,' he said, pointing in the direction behind him. He took my map and flipped it so that I could see its back. 'Alph, better luck figuring out which side of the map is the front next time, hmm. Well, but you _are_ really close…'

I suddenly had an urge to kill myself right now. _All this time I was looking at the back of the transparent map… No wonder I had so much trouble…_

'Well, thanks.' I was just about to set out again as something occurred to me. 'Wendell?' I asked.

'Yes?' He looked at me through narrow eyes.

'What exactly are you doing here?'

'Collecting samples for my next experiment.' He sighed and shrugged. 'But it's such a pain. No matter how well you've designed your traps, the inferior insects just won't give up…'

I had no idea what he was talking about. 'Well, thanks for the tip, Wendell.'

'Well, go on, human. I must go back to my work. The insects await me…' Wendell grinned again.

As I left, I felt an involuntary shudder through my body. _What was that all about?_


End file.
